Biden Orders Sweeping Assessment of Russian Hacking, Even While Renewing Nuclear Treaty

[TomCADem]

Source: MSN

WASHINGTON — President Biden ordered a sweeping review on Thursday of American intelligence about Russia’s role in a highly sophisticated hacking of government and corporate computer networks, along with what his spokeswoman called Moscow’s “reckless and adversarial actions” globally and against dissidents inside the country.

At the same time, White House officials said the president would seek a clean, five-year extension of the last remaining nuclear arms treaty between the two countries, which expires in two weeks.

While Mr. Biden has long favored the extension, there was debate among his top aides about how long it should be. He chose the most time available under the treaty’s terms, in hopes, his aides said, of preventing a nuclear arms race at a time the new president expects to be in a state of near-constant, low-level competition and confrontation with Moscow around the world — and particularly in cyberspace.

“This extension makes even more sense when the relationship with Russia is adversarial as it is at this time,” said Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/biden-orders-sweeping-assessment-of-russian-hacking-even-while-renewing-nuclear-treaty/ar-BB1cYEC1?ocid=msedgdhp

[Botany]

1. And who let go two senior national cyber security people which might have helped allow the ....

.... Russian hacking?

[iluvtennis]

2. Excellent news! nt

[orangecrush]

3. Cool, but

Purge the Trump loyalists while you're at it, otherwise expect to be sabotaged

[Hekate]

6. I think that bit of housecleaning is already underway. nt

[orangecrush]

9. Good!

[Nitram]

4. Yes! We need to finish unfinished business with Trump's Russian treason.

[Hekate]

5. Good. It was delayed by 4 years; time to retrieve the plans made by Obama & Biden ....

...update them, and slam the Russians.

[Judi Lynn]

7. US seeks 5-year extension of nuclear pact with Russia: White House

Biden has been clear that this is in the national security interest of the US
By PTI January 22, 2021 10:27 IST

The United States seeks a five-year extension of the New START treaty, the White House has said, asserting that President Joe Biden has long been clear that this is in the national security interest of the US.

The United States intends to seek a five-year extension of New START as the treaty permits. The president has long been clear that the New START treaty is in the national security interest of the United States, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at her daily news conference.

This extension makes even more sense when the relationship with Russia is adversarial as it is at this time. New START is the only remaining treaty constraining Russian nuclear forces and is an anchor of strategic stability between the two countries, she said.

Even as we work with Russia to advance US interests, so too we work to hold Russia to account for its reckless and adversarial actions, she said.

Read more: https://www.theweek.in/news/world/2021/01/22/us-seeks-5-year-extension-of-nuclear-pact-with-russia-white-house.html

[Ford_Prefect]

8. There needs to be a thorough investigation of Russian financing of GOP candidates and propaganda.

The Russian cyber penetration did not occur in a vacuum. It was done at a time of full cooperation between the party in power and Russian interests. There can be little doubt that there are pro-Russian members in both houses even now. One can only suppose how many stay behind agents have been installed inside federal agencies. We expect hostile governments to use such tactics in their own interests. We do not expect the GOP to collude with them in this.

As yet we have no idea how much our infrastructure and institutions have been compromised. We don't know how far that rot has spread nor how many GOP affiliates are involved as agents or useful idiots.

We need to expose this for reasons of protecting our democracy and to show the public how compromised the GOP is. How dependent they are on such agency as the massive back-door funding of GOP candidates through the NRA and other 3rd parties via Russian money. How conspiracy and rumor are used to stir opposition groups like those who attacked on Jan. 6th through Russian engagement in platforms like Parler and through financing and coordination efforts of RW hate groups.

Russian intelligence has been busy behind the scenes but it has had help from some in high public office as well. Members of Congress and the Senate knowingly acted in concert with Russian representatives like the Ambassador. Several went on "field trips" to Russia to obtain information in support of investigating Hunter Biden, or to defend accusations of Trump deriving from the Steele Report and other sources. You can be sure other Russian-GOP overtures were less visible but are likely continuing.

[Botany]

10. Biden might be going for "a kill shot" on Trump and Russia in this investigation

Don't forget that in Feb. of 2020 Trump fired the intell people who told congress that
Russia/Putin were working to help Bernie in the primaries. I hope Trump's Russian links
are exposed so everybody including the Fox watching MAGA idiots.

Trump accuses Schiff of leaking intelligence about Russia to hurt Sanders

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Sunday accused Representative Adam Schiff of leaking classified information on Russian interference in the 2020 U.S. election to hurt Democratic presidential front-runner Bernie Sanders.

snip

“They leaked it, Adam Schiff and his group. They leaked it to the papers and - as usual - they ought to investigate Adam Schiff for leaking that information,” Trump said, without providing any evidence to back up his claims.

Schiff, who served as the lead prosecutor in Trump’s impeachment trial in the Senate, said Trump was seeking to turn attention away from his own actions with the comments.

“Nice deflection, Mr. President. But your false claims fool no one,” he wrote in a tweet. “You welcomed Russian help in 2016, tried to coerce Ukraine’s help in 2019, and won’t protect our elections in 2020. Now you fired your intel chief for briefing Congress about it. You’ve betrayed America. Again.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-idUSKCN20H0H8

[Ford_Prefect]

11. Trump has had Russian help since the late 1980's.

They certainly were behind his exploration of running for office well prior to 2016. He was groomed for a long time and the ground laid to "adjust" his way to the top of the ticket and the balloting. The Russians have been investing in certain GOP legislators and candidates for a while. Robert's aberration of the Citizens United case to enable and open corporate money floodgates gave them much more leverage.

As things stand now there a uncounted actors, agents, and useful idiots salting the federal bureaucracy as well as in Congress and the Senate.

Trump spent an inordinate amount of effort and time trying to erase the accusations of Russian connection and influence on his administration and his actions. He likewise has gone to great lengths to muddy the record and erase the evidence.

I think we need to get Mr Bannon and a few others under oath and ask them the hard questions about who gave the money and who gave the guidance. I think we need to have them testify to Congress and I think a few federal prosecutors ought to have a go at them, before they are turned over to the State of New York for illegal interference in an election and unreported income charges.

[Botany]

12. Well we do know that Russia was heavly invested into "The Apprentence" in order to sell the idea ...

... Trump was big successful billionaire businessman instead of a failed one.

[Ford_Prefect]

13. Trump has been actively laundering Russian money since western banks refused his business.

This in itself is very "hugely" illegal and a substantial part of the world wide dark economy which launders massive volumes of drug money including that from Russia.

[Botany]

14. Yup! And when all the banks world wide wouldn't touch Trump only Putin's Deutsche Bank would ...

... do business with him and with that Putin got his hooks into Donny.

BTW Putin was never going to let Trump build a Trump Tower Moscow because Putin/Russian Mob/and
others used the Trump properties in order to get their ill gotten money out of Russia and to launder it.
A Trump Tower Moscow does not help in those goals.